Deliverance
by RT4ever
Summary: Uneventful part two of a delayed Christmas Story which reunites Max and Logan after some time apart. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU ARE OKAY WITH IT BEING INCOMPLETE. LJ folks do not get excited there is nothing new here.
1. Deliverance

**Ramblings from me:** Hmm, I suppose I should start off with 'Bah Humbug.' I started one story about a month before Christmas, then I started this a few days before Christmas. Then they both just decided to hate me (actually I think that's a theme behind all my stories). So I decided to post this for now, it's half-finished and will either get a longer ending (if you guys like it) or a briefer one (if you don't). If I don't post it then it'll never be finished and I will never be able to read Mari and Shy's xmas stories (I've realized since Logan's bday I simply cannot read other stories before I post my own bc then I talk myself out of my stories bc they're simply unnecessary…I'm odd I'm aware…And I did read the end of Shy's story and really want to read the rest…Once more I'm odd, I read the big stuff first and then go back).

And everyone stopped reading three lines in, so I'm shutting up. Here's part one, hope you don't hate (and yea no I'm never doing a cheesy holiday story…Just wouldn't be me :-P).

**Probably the only thing you need to read: **Hope the back and forth motion of the story isn't confusing or if it is and you want to tell me how I should fix it, feel free to. "This is present" and 'this is past' if you need/want italics, let me know. The opening scene is the scene they're in, everything else is Max remembering.

**Thanks for reading.**

* * *

**Deliverance **

He watched from the porch as she pulled up.

Watched with crossed arms.

Crossed plaid flannel arms.

First Eyes Only had gone softly into that good night, if that wasn't as unexpected as could be, turned out it could be trumped by that 'good night' involving plaid.

He had gone softly; she had gone in the middle of a screaming match.

Over two years after the virus had taken its ugly hold. Over a year since his identity had been out-ed to more than a few. Less than three months after they'd taken out the threat of the Familiars.

All of that and no cure.

And then suddenly as everything else started to resolve, they started to remember that ugly fact. Before it had just been a nagging thought in the back of their minds, put off by more pressing matters, but that was no longer the case.

Tensions flared.

Arguments abounded as they were left with nothing else to distract their focus.

There was a desperation that started to accompany their actions. Logan started looking into riskier possible cures. Started pushing the limit with what they could get away with on a daily basis.

She couldn't even remember the specifics of their last fight.

There had been talk of trying to make a vaccine from her blood, of exposing Logan to it through her weakened cells. The data was still inconclusive and they'd been offered no guarantees it wouldn't kill him. Nothing to tell them that the virus wouldn't somehow adapt and make it so not even Joshua's blood would save him.

She remembered how his hand felt attached to her arm as she'd gone to storm out when he stopped listening to reason.

She remembered the long look down. The black glove around the bare skin. She remembered looking up and seeing the hard look in his eyes, unwavering in his determination.

Her arm yanked free, but his expression remained the same.

Her head shook, 'I'm done,' was all she said before she swiftly moved for the door.

He'd called her name, but he hadn't gone chasing after her.

They'd fought before, she always came back or he always found her, hidden away in Terminal City, being consoled at Original Cindy's, off with Alec ignoring jibes and drinking enough to try to forget her name and especially his…

She kept riding that day though.

By that night her beeper had filled.

A call had been placed late that night to Original Cindy as she told her best friend she just needed some space.

She expected to turn around that next day, when that passed she knew she'd head back tomorrow.

And then it was next week.

And then another.

Her pager was lost in a bar fight with some stupid chicken heads thinking she was going after their men.

It was easier to forget going back without the constant vibrations against her hip.

Still though, **she was going back. **

There just always seemed to be a reason to put it off another day.

She picked up the phone for last Christmas, finally after long months away.

Cindy had informed her Logan had just bailed.

Told everyone he was going and was packed up in a matter of days.

**Eyes Only didn't just pack up. **

Eyes Only didn't sneak off in the middle of the night, though according to Original Cindy it was more likely at first light.

Eyes Only went out in a blaze of glory.

At least that's what had always kept her up at nights, well that and her screwy DNA.

Eyes Only certainly didn't retreat to a sleepy island along the frigid coast of Maine. From protecting a city with over a half a million to a reclusive author in a town of less than a thousand.

She'd only learned that though in the past week, a short story tucked deep in a magazine, a different name, but she knew his words, his style. The first sign that he was still out there.

From December to May she kept telling herself that she was glad he moved on. She tried to imagine him living some happy little white picket fence life. Imagine him dating, falling in love again, getting married...

It turned her stomach every time.

In June she started to worry. No one had heard from him, even Sebastian and Bling informed her he'd said his good-byes and told them it was time to move on.

No one specifically on his tail, no new death threats, not even a crisis arisen somewhere else in the country for him to tend to.

The brief conversation she had over the phone with a sympathetic Bling informed her of his final words as he'd been asked about Eyes Only, 'He lived his life years longer than should have been possible, I think maybe Logan Cale deserves a chance.' There was a bitter laugh, Bling told her before Logan went on, 'That is once I figure out who he is.'

She'd sat down and wondered about that for awhile. She sat down and realized he had spent his entire adult life living it for others. From the day the Pulse hit and he was pulling people out of wrecked cars as he made his way home, to the months that followed handing out water and supplies.

He had been ripped from childhood and thrust into adulthood and there he remained living only to serve others. The person he originally would have been changed that day.

Occasionally she had wondered about herself, tried to let herself imagine who she would have been if she had been created the old-fashioned way. Would it really have been soccer practice and swimming lessons?

Would she have been able to handle a job where she had to sit still?

She always meant to live a life that wasn't a reaction to Manticore, she always began that way. Each city there had been a new something. A new job, a new boyfriend, something that would make her feel 'normal' for a brief second and then the realization of how screwed up she was because she couldn't be happy, she couldn't make it last.

She had really believed though...

Really believed as they sat on the floor together for just seconds before Zack dropped in. She believed it when she busted in on the party with ultimate crasher in Lydecker and saw the relief, joy and love on his face. Dying in his arms, she realized she'd been foolish believing it could ever happen for her at the same time realizing that she was the only one to blame, not Manticore, all those years hating them and it had been her.

When she saw him again, she swore she'd be different, but she did the opposite.

She'd run to him, then run away, run to him, then run away again until finally she ran farther than he could find her.

For over a month she swore she'd respect his wishes to figure out who he was and let him be.

Then she started to think about him with someone else, forever.

Someone else being the person who finally got him to open up, someone else to listen to his dreams, someone else to plan his future with and suddenly that little ol' virus didn't seem like that big of a deal.

Tracking down the man behind Eyes Only was a feat though. She hit dead end after dead end. Sometimes she'd stop and decide it was a sign, but then she'd remember, she'd remember everything, and try again.

He still filled his taxes, but no permanent address…

She'd run down every contact she could come up with, scoured every major city for a sign of him and then one day she was in San Diego watching the sail boats in Mission Bay and smiled remembering Jonas' yacht running aground that infamous June day.

She started to remember him telling her of how they were supposed to be on vacation, it was supposed to be his final summer vacation with his parents before he set off into the adult world.

His father had a business emergency, so they pushed it back rather than go on without him. He'd gone on about how he couldn't imagine what they would have gone through on the opposite side of the coast on a small island, just starting to bustle with summer tourists. Then he'd smiled, 'Hell knowing my father he would have sailed us down to somewhere in the Caribbean before heading back up to Seattle on his own.'

She didn't know why, just the thought of it stuck in her head.

That had been the next step for 'Logan Cale.' Logan Cale, when he was only Logan Cale, a boy becoming a man and nothing else.

She remembered Maine on her own and crossed the country in just under a week, an accomplishment considering all the detours and checkpoints she had to make her way through and riding at night tended to bring a little more attention than she wanted, so she skipped it. It took her hours sitting in a cheap motel room in Illinois staring at various maps she'd picked up as she traveled east to convince herself that Islesboro was the little island she was looking for. 2 miles across and 14 miles long and of course only accessible by air or sea, it was the best chance she had of finding him.

Of course in Camden, Maine she had wished for skis instead of her baby as she skidded off the road after not having the common sense to stop when it began to snow.

_So close yet so far. _She thought sitting on the side of the road as the snow continued to fall all around her and judging by the snow she was sitting on, it fell rather regularly, since her pile was nearly knee high.

She had been about to scream up to the heaven's, to the blue lady, who was probably laughing her ass off, that she gave up, they were right, everything that could go wrong between her and Logan had and she was done with it.

Then a pickup pulled up. Told her she was close to Lincolnville, where she'd catch the ferry and that he was heading that way and would drop her and her bike off. She started to believe again, until of course he told her the ferry ran four times a day and she had missed it. He dropped her off at a motel close by and with a laugh told her she should probably just put her bike in storage until April.

The people at the terminal the next morning had given her a few odd looks, but didn't bother harassing her too in depth about her plans while in Islesboro, after all who would be stupid enough to think a small town in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by water in the dead of winter was a smart place to be.

She limped her way onto the ferry with her bike before collapsing into a seat for the short ride.

She realized just how exhausted she was once she made her way off and into a new terminal, deciding the most logical thing to do was figure out a game plan for her bike since her ankle and the roads pretty much guaranteed she wouldn't be making it anywhere on it.

There were a couple of people engaged in conversation and she decided to be patient and wait, all while keeping a watchful eye on her bike now abandoned outdoors. A wall of pictures caught her eye, immediately recognizing more than a few as actors from late in the last century and early in this one. Their 'Wall of Fame' she was guessing, slightly more impressive than the ones she'd previously seen at pizzerias.

The eyes that had originally been focused on the guy from the talking baby movie traveled through a few more famous faces and then some more familiar ones. Familiar from only one picture though, tucked nearly out of sight in Logan's old living room. His parents and his youthful face, nine or ten she was guessing from his height. She started to realize the other faces she hadn't been able to recognize probably meant they had been successful in fields other than acting, unless Logan had been keeping other information hidden from her.

Marjorie part owner in the business made her way towards the young girl with an apprehensive look. They'd radioed ahead about her and her bike and she saw now why they were worried, she wasn't your everyday traveler, hell she didn't know how the young girl wasn't shivering right out, especially since she'd unzipped her leather jacket upon entering the building, exposing a lightweight shirt underneath.

Then as she grew closer and realized the girl was lost in the picture she noticed she wasn't staring longingly at any of the celebrities that people arrived hoping to encounter, many of whom had given plenty to keep this place running after the Pulse and restore it to its former idyllic glory. There was a small smile on her face too as she focused. _Interesting, _Marjorie thought to herself.

'You might be more interested in the town bulletin board,' the older woman said startling the girl.

The girl's head tilted and she stared at Marjorie for a moment before daring to open her mouth in a whisper, 'Is he here?' She realized now that if Logan truly was here then there would be no new identity to take care of, she realized now that this had been a vacation home, not a one time never happened trip, he'd left Seattle seeking comfort, seeking familiar things, he'd been looking for Logan Cale, not a stranger.

'All depends sweetheart, who you looking for?'

Her face fell as she realized it was for naught. She'd lost him for good because of five seconds of anger. Her eyes closed as tears were about to fall. 'So he's not,' was all she could say.

'Well hun, that all depends on who you're talking about, because Johnny boy hasn't been here in years, don't get me wrong though, he still loves this little island, he's helped us out on more than a few occasions, and more than a few on that wall are dead-'

The girl's eyes snapped open, ' Logan,' she asked, 'is Logan here?'

' Logan…?' Marjorie's head bobbed aimlessness.

'Is that a yes?' the girl's eyes darkened and focused in on her.

'We may be small, but we're not that small. Got at least three Logan's here, maybe more I've got to be honest at 607 people, I lose a few names.'

'Maybe you should take his picture off your wall if you can't take the time to know his name,' she snapped.

'I see two Logan's on that wall,' Marjorie returned the attitude.

Her eyes closed again and she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, 'He's here,' she said as she found herself believing again.

'Actually I didn't say that.'

Max's eyes opened and she gave the woman a disbelieving look, but without her earlier attitude, she was so close, he was here. 'Yea well considering one's been in the family mausoleum for the past eight years.'

Marjorie's interest was beyond piqued at this point, 'And how do you know Logan?'

'We're…' her head shook, 'we were…' her eyes closed, 'we had a fight,' she said in a low incredulous voice, _an everyday common fight. _

'He's been here for almost a year.'

Her eyes opened to reveal a soft brown, 'And I was gone months before that…I didn't mean for it, for this…' her head shook some more. 'I still don't know what happened,' she said with a trembling voice.

Marjorie's heart, which moments before had been hard, instantly softened, 'Sometimes it happens like that.'

Max's eyes rolled up, diverting her gaze trying to hide the pain.

'Gonna break more than a few of the girls' hearts and a few of the boys had been starting to get their hopes up.'

The girl's eyes lowered to give the other woman an disbelieving look.

'A single man that looks like that and a year of no dating…'

'He's not…'

'My guess is he's been looking for answers too.' The man was a lone figure. He hung out with the boys, fished, drank, whatever the situation called for, played nice with the ladies, always made polite conversation, Mary from the grocery store was completely in love with him and was known for keeping him company throughout his shopping trips in her store. As nice as he was, his past was kept to himself. She was pretty sure Sherriff Mike had found out something about him, after all she had known Mike since they were in diapers and could tell when he was keeping something to himself, but she trusted him enough to let it drop after his insistence on finding out the truth about the newcomer suddenly vanished with a shrug of his shoulders and an, '_turns out the boy is alright.' _

'Do you know where he…'

'Couple miles from here,' Marjorie nodded, knowing what the girl couldn't find the words to ask, 'hope you realize it was pretty foolish to even bother bringing the bike this time of year.'

Max looked down at her ankle and rolled her eyes before dryly responding, 'I noticed.'

'Hey Teddy,' Marjorie called out across the way to her former companion now talking to her husband.

'Yea Margie?' he turned quickly ripped from speculating about the new girl with his friend, eager for answers.

'You heading home now?'

'In a few,' he smiled, 'trying to get rid of me?'

'Always,' she smiled back, 'mind giving,' she turned back to Max with a frown, 'I think I missed your name.'

'Max,' she supplied, if he wasn't lying then neither was she.

'Max here, a ride out to Logan's since it's on your way?'

'Not a problem, I'll be ready to go in five, just need to grab something from the back with Jerry.'

ooOoo

A brief conversation followed, once the men returned and they made their way outside. It was regarding her bike, which all three of the town's residents had decided was completely foolish as the two men longingly stroked her highly polished beauty (since she'd needed something to do to pass the previous seemingly never-ending night) and it was left behind with promises from Marjorie and Jerry to be cared for. She realized as she climbed into the pickup that she wasn't worried about its safety and it wasn't because she innately trusted Marjorie, since that was something she doubted she'd ever do with anyone she just met.

It was that it didn't matter.

Nothing mattered more than Logan and getting to him as fast as possible, hell she probably would have outed herself if it had proven necessary, leaving her bike didn't even require a moment's hesitation.

The ride out to Logan's was one of those long rides than seemed to drag on forever as they slowly made their way in the snow that had yet to be cleared. Yet she was surprised as she turned up at the house and it was announced they were there and she turned in shock to see Logan exiting his front door, a chocolate lab with white paws and a white chest bounding down the stairs in front of him, letting out a few barks, before Logan's firm command of, "Jack quiet," reached her through the glass.

The dog immediately lost interest and began sniffing through the fresh snow.

"Nice meeting you, Max," Teddy smiled, ignoring the interesting situation Marjorie had put him in the middle of, "I'll see you tonight at the potluck."

She turned and looked blankly at him before nodding, "Thanks for the ride."

"No problem, we all help each other out here," warm blue eyes smiled at her, hoping he wasn't sending her into the lion's den, he turned once more to see Logan still just standing on the porch, fully dressed, yet making no move, he'd seen the guy give up coats, walk blocks out of his way to escort someone to their car, drive clear across the island when someone was in need. Yet there he stood now doing nothing.

Teddy cranked down his window as Max climbed out, "Hey Logan," he offered with a wave of his hand and a smile.

Logan remembered his manners and smiled, "Hey," he waved back, "thanks for giving her a ride."

"No problem," he waved back before going to turn around as Max stood on the freshly cleared path. Now that she was here, she had no idea what to do.

The dog that came sniffing offered her an escape, "Hey boy," she said squatting down, dropping the pack she'd been carrying down next to her as she tried to win over the dog's affections.

"Girl," Logan corrected her.

She looked at Logan with bemused lips, "Jack?" she questioned.

"I was talked into her after more than a few shots of JD. Her waking me up at 5am the next day to be walked while I was still drunk," he shrugged, "the name made sense. Wouldn't think you'd have an issue with it."

"I ever say that I did?" she asked standing to look at him once more.

He was a wall.

"You're a hard person to find."

"You're one to speak."

" Logan," her head shook, "I'm sorry."

He continued looking at her.

"I didn't mean to," her eyes closed for a moment. "One minute I was clearing my head and the next I was ducking past a checkpoint. I thought if I could just get some fresh air then…" her head shook.

"A year and a half of fresh air?"

"I didn't mean to," she repeated. "It was just easier to stay away…And then you were gone." She wanted to run to him, to bury her head against his chest, to feel his arms wrap around her. _How had she forgotten the pain of not being able to do that? _

She shivered.

"There's a fire going inside."

She didn't bother mentioning it wasn't the cold that was making her quiver.

"JD," Logan called out and the dog went scampering towards her master and into the door he opened.

Instead of following he waited for her, against the backdrop of the grayed cedar shingles, upon the porch the stretched across the entire front of the house. _No this is not where Eyes Only was to have ended up. _

She refused to limp as she made her way up to him, her eyes locking with his as she took the final step. "I thought I'd never see you again," she said in a small voice as she weakened once more. _Please don't screw this up, _her heart pleaded with her.

He moved faster than she could react to in her mentally depleted state.

Before she realized it she was being pinned against a white pillar, his mouth crushing into hers. It was all too fast, she was too caught up in feelings and emotions to remember anything.

It wasn't until he pulled away as harshly and as quickly as he'd come to her that she even remembered the virus.

He didn't look scared or panicked though, instead he looked angry. Angrier than she'd ever seen him.

"A year and three months," was all he said.

"You cured it," she said in shock.

"Yea interesting how that worked out, though I guess it says a lot about our relationship."

"When?" she asked even though she already knew the answer.

"Odd thing when the reason behind our fight…You don't really need a cure when you're no longer exposed to something."

"You should have," she looked at him with pained eyes.

"I should have what Max?" he asked angrier than he had been when he'd accused her of being with Alec. "Told Original Cindy? Alec? Bling?"

_She would have come, she would have come running. _

"You made your choice," he nearly spat out.

"I was trying to keep you safe," her voice raised, finding strength in that. _They'd fought because they loved each other. O. Henry would be proud. _

"Yea that worked out well," he bitterly laughed.

"If you just told someone," she began to defend.

"I would have told you Max, if you called. Just once." If she'd called before he'd gone through with it, before he finally gave up waiting and went to NY for treatment, he would have scrapped any plans regarding it, sworn to never even think about another treatment ever again, if she'd only come back to him.

"I did. Forget you canceled your phone and didn't leave anyone a forwarding?"

"I chucked it into the water in June Max, June's a long way off from September." _June 1st. _Anniversary of when his life had taken a 180 along with everyone else's and one too many beers at the town barbeque had convinced him that sending it flying into the water would be a good thing, a new world, just as the Pulse had brought. He regretted it almost instantly, yet never sought to replace it.

She didn't say anything.

"It's cold out," was all he said before he turned and headed inside.

* * *

**So short or long? **


	2. Profoundly Lacking

**If I don't start posting things again, I never will. **

**This entire story should have been finished in this part (and ages ago), but it sadly is not, so this will be a three part story in the end. **

**This is a very non-eventful part, which was written ages ago and I kept expecting to get the inspiration to finish it. So has not happened yet. **

**Sorry guys. **

**PS- You guys should be glad of how many AN's I scrapped when posting this…Would have been longer than the chapter itself.**

* * *

**Profoundly Lacking**

She wondered if something could be profound just by the lack of it.

If momentous things could be said through not saying them.

She walked into an ordinary house. An ordinary hallway. A color somewhere between eggshell and ivory that she didn't have the vocabulary to describe, but knew others did.

A key rack had been drilled into the wall next to a coat rack. Convenience apparently mattered more to Logan than the lack of clutter since there was a closet nearby on which a few leashes were draped on its doorknob. Boots and shoes not so neatly lined up on a mat close by.

"Uh should I?" she asked with a head gesture down to the mat.

"No," his head shook, "it's fine."

She stomped despite the pain a few times on the mat just in front of the door before taking off her jacket, which he took and hung up beside his own.

"Uh, nice place," she tried speaking again to counter his silence as he walked into the living room and the blazing fire Jack had already settled herself in front of.

It was _nice_, but that was just it. It was nice. It wasn't walk in and go 'wow' as his old place had been.

A decently killer tv that once upon a time she would have longed to fence, just nice enough to make it worth her while, but not enough to garner her too much attention. A sound system she was sure he had piped through the house because the presence of real walls would hamper the sound travel unlike his old place. There was a painting above the sofa, an abstract in soft earthy tones, it held a country feel and she knew it was by no one she would have bothered trying to fence it for. The sofa was throwing her. Sturdy. Clean. No harsh lines that would have gone with his old apartment, but certainly not the ramshackle one he'd inherited from Joshua.

It wasn't Logan though. It had a slipcover. A blue slipcover. For some reason she doubted Cales ever, _in the history of all Cales, _did slipcovers, but this one had.

The leather recliner without much excess stuffing tilted off at an angle…_That was Logan. _

And the mahogany entertainment center with its clear, crisp lines…

Only faint traces of Logan in the room despite his presence.

_Correction, _what _she _thought of as him.

"It does what it needs to do," he answered before suddenly pausing in the middle of the living room. "Coffee's still fresh," he offered.

"Uh yea," she nodded, "sounds good."

She followed him down the hall and through a doorway when she stopped with a smile, "Why you picked the house?" she questioned. Meaning, the yellow cabinets that lines the walls, a muted, dark yellow, which popped against the dark granite countertops, a large island that seemed to stretch nearly the length of the house with Logan's gleaming pots hanging above it, the stone floor…

"That obvious?" he asked with a chuckle. "A family from Boston owned it before the Pulse, they had been in the process of renovating the whole house. Unfortunately that means the downstairs bathroom is," he made a face, "without everything that makes it into a bathroom and two of the upstairs bedrooms aren't in _spectacular_ condition."

"Guessing the appliances are new?" she asked moving over to admire the stainless steel fridge, opening the door to peak inside. _As always a lot more space than was needed. _'Might as well grab the milk,' she thought to herself, so as to not look nosey.

"Yea," he nodded, "just got the fridge last month."

"Floors must be a bitch to clean," she said with a smile as he took the milk from her.

He finally returned it with a brief one, "I've had to tackle Jack a few times before she made it in here," he joked.

"Midnight snacking probably a little less pleasant," she offered with a tilted head.

He waited.

"Stone floors, cold feet," she summed up.

"Ah," he nodded. "Entire house actually," he corrected. "I've closed off a few of the rooms to try to save on heating, but as it is the town has some mandatory limits in order to conserve."

She nodded and took the cup he offered. "Didn't know wealthy folk accepted limits."

He just smiled.

She shifted uneasily.

"It uh actually has the ground work for radiant heating," he offered just the same not knowing what to say to her, not wanting to say something, again, that he couldn't take back. "Assuming it works after 15 years."

"So why don't you…Ah," the coffee swished in her cup as she gestured with yet another unsure smile, "right. Limits."

He smiled again.

She held in her sigh and turned. She'd unintentionally had many dreams regarding this very moment. Being reunited with Logan and no virus. This was no where near any of them. _She could have dealt with his anger, but not his indifference. _

She wasn't walking anywhere in particular, just gently pulled into the gleam of the steel hood above the stove when her foot hit something and her ankle reacted.

Forward she pitched, the hot coffee sloshed over her hand as her other hand flung out in a desperate attempt to stabilize herself on the counter.

The curse on her lips came at the same time his hand went around her, resting on her stomach before sliding across to her side as she was pulled back.

They both froze then, as she was safely settled.

Touch between them still too new, she could feel it coursing through her body.

She wanted to lean back, into his embrace, but she felt him stiffen almost immediately after his gut reaction to help her.

"You okay?" he asked as he loosened his grip.

"Yea," her voice found its resolve. "Highway was out to get me yesterday."

He walked around instead of turning her to face his questioning gaze.

"My bike and Maine apparently don't like each other, my ankle paid the price."

"Jack's-," he bent down with a smile and retrieved the rawhide bone, which he'd certainly tripped over a time or two when he wasn't paying attention. "Wait," he said quickly stopping as he realized her words, "your bike?"

"Yea," she smiled and rolled her eyes at herself, "didn't really think of the whole Maine, snow thing."

"Where's-" he tried to begin, knowing how Max was with her bike, still remembering the call he'd placed to Bling for her asking him to pick it up as they made plans to bring down Manticore. Her sister had just died, she'd been kidnapped by her very own anti-Christ before making enough peace with him to try to tear down Manticore and she'd been worried about her bike being out there all alone.

She spoke as she realized he stopped, "Left it with a Marjorie?" not really knowing why she'd questioned the name, "Claims it'll still be there when I go back."

There was something in his eyes as he heard those words, _'when I go back.' "_It will be," he quickly nodded. "Why don't you sit down, take off your boot, I'll go upstairs and grab a wrap."

They stared at each other for a moment as she forgot to answer.

"Okay," she finally nodded and moved to sit on a stool.

He went to go help her as he realized she was still limping, a hand touched her arm and she froze again.

"Uh actually," he looked over at the built in benches by the proper kitchen dining area, about to suggest them before shaking his head. "Living room would probably be the best, you could put your leg up, unless you want to lie down, you've got to be tired."

"Not really," she answered looking at him with wide, but cautious eyes.

"That's right; I can't remember the last time I've seen you tired of anything…aside from us that is." It snuck in without his intention to. Pain flashed in his eyes right after the bitterness.

Hers simply closed. "Living room's fine. Spent the past week trying out a new motel every few states including Lincolnville's very own Bay Breeze last night. Guessing the breeze is a little nicer in summertime?" her words had bite, but honestly she'd spent part of her night across the road from the motel overlooking the water, trying to mentally will her eyes into finding some sign of him several miles away.

"You were-"

"I missed the last ferry," she confirmed his unspoken question of she'd been there, the closest she'd been in over a year as he went about his night, _ate dinner, watched the news, slept_, she'd been there.

She felt him pull away slightly.

He just nodded, no question asked, but he nodded anyway. He looked away briefly, his gaze never quite returning as he asked his question, "Do you need help into the living room?"

She swallowed hard, "I'll be fine," she answered as he quickly moved away to grab her coffee.

Her eyes remained fixed as she headed towards to the door and she knew she was lying.

* * *

**Yea this chapter sucked ass, while I was in the writing mood. Man reading it when I'm not…..Like waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond sucking. **

**I need to figure out how to bring my laptop to the beach because two weekends away (during my writing downtime) and during both I was overflowing with thoughts. Man they left quickly. Me thinks I need to figure out how to bring the beach to my backyard. :-P**

**Mari- Radiant heating, means heated floors. Pretty sure you got that from the context, but figured I'd explain just in case.   
**


	3. Understatements

AN: It's never coming back. My drive, my insight into who I thought the characters were, the connection…It's kaput. Interestingly enough, I try to post these little bits to make my FFN account as complete as my hard drive and FFN has a technical glitch at the exact moment I go to post (seriously was working 2 minutes before), it's a sign.

* * *

**Understatements**

She watched with limp curls, blown apart by the wind on the ferry, as he froze walking back into the room. A single curl obscuring her vision of him, but not enough to have not seen his quick stop as she'd turned to face his footsteps and he'd just simply stopped.

He wasn't supposed to stop.

He should have rushed to her, taken her in his arms and promised never to let go again, never let anyone or thing come between them. He should have kept the promises he'd made to her so long ago, despite the fact that she'd broken them.

The ringing pulled them out of the state of pain they'd been lulled into, her eyes followed his, past her, to the noise and he soon was dropping what looked like half a medicine cabinet onto the coffee table in front of her before going to retrieve the sleek black cordless from the end table.

"Hello?" he shook off his confusion. "Oh hi, Penny. Uh yea," his brow furrowed, "yea I do have a friend staying with me…No it was a surprise." He chuckled.

Max frowned.

"Well that's nice of you to offer…Yes, I'll bring her along." He laughed again, "That's nice of you to offer, but I'm sure I'll be able to put something together. Yes, 6:30, you've told me everyday for the past two months." He laughed again, "Fine at least once a week."

Max's eyes lifted up and away as did the lines on her mouth as Logan's head moved to turn to her.

"I'll see you then," he promised before hanging up the phone.

"Plans?" the words shot out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"It is Christmas Eve," he reminded.

"Her referring to me or the dog?" she asked trying to slip into her old cocky attitude, hoping maybe it would make her Logan return or at least take the sting out of him not being around.

"She'd tie me to the porch if I brought Jack into her house," he nodded and moved over to the coffee table.

She wanted to offer to stay behind, but she was afraid he'd take her up on it.

"It's a potluck," he explained, needing something to fill the silence as he took the metal clasp off the flesh colored wrap.

She remained silent.

"I need to go into town to pick up a few things still," he explained pulling the coffee table back.

"Don't let me stop you," _there was a little bit of that bite she was looking for. _

"I'm not, it's still early. We'll take care of your ankle and," he nodded at it as he sat down before her on the coffee table. He paused for a second, allowing a moment of discomfort to leak through, he moved on, "If you want I can pick up your bike on my way back." His eyes were trained in his task of undoing her boot, "Or if you feel up to it you can come with me, pick what you want for dinner."

She smiled briefly at the same moment he looked up, cautious to keep all hope out of his eyes. "I _should_ say I want to be surprised," her voice light and airy.

He chuckled remembering all of their previous dinner discussions. Previous strolls and rolls through the market as she'd badger him with questions, suggestions, comments. Previous cautious walks careful to not be identified or touch. They'd just been two people. A happy pair. Generally pleased enough with the company to get over the sticker shock on the goods, the foul odors that should never be around food and the general despair that accompanied the world outside of their usual walls. "I should take you just to save on my phone bill."

An impish smile graced her face, "One time Logan-"

"One time?" He cut her off with his own smile, "Max just about every time I left Terminal City without you, you'd call with a list of things to get." He laughed at a memory, "You once made me turn around twice to go back to the Farmers Market."

"Not like you'd reached the car yet," she quickly replied.

"Would that have changed anything?"

"Says the guy obsessed with walking again," she teasingly offered. _He would have jogged to the moon if they'd let him try._

"I wasn't expecting relay races on my shopping expeditions," he smiled. "Between you, Original Cindy and Joshua."

"Hey that wasn't our fault," she cut him off, "we didn't know you and Alec had gone out until you were out. If you'd given us time we would have given you a list," she said specifically referring to the day he was talking about.

"Explain to me all the other times?" he asked securing the bandage on her foot.

Her smile dropped. She'd liked talking to him. She'd liked hearing his voice. Liked knowing he was still safe even though she wasn't around to protect him…She'd liked the domesticity of it. They were just a normal couple on the phone. "I liked busting your chops," she softly offered.

His smile had fallen along with hers, but twitched up slightly at that statement, "How does that feel?" he asked releasing his grip on her ankle.

"Better thanks," she nodded and pulled in leg in.

"So the market?"

"I'll join you." She smiled, "Check out the childhood haunts of Logan Cale."

He laughed, "That would consist of the candy store and the library."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

ooOoo

"It's nice here," she nodded as she walked towards the front of his Land Rover, not looking at him, but instead the quaint town.

"Yea," he nodded. He looked around as well, suddenly with fresh eyes. "I never really got it when I was a kid," he shook his head, "my mom loved it though."

"I can see why," she nodded again as she paused at the front of the car.

He stood next to her, "It's different from Seattle."

"Understatement."

He shook his head, "I mean even then." He nodded, "Seattle was constant. Pretension." He shook his head, "Here you were who you were."

"Sounds nice."

"It was," he shook his head, "it is," he nodded. "So," he changed the subject, "anything in particular you're in the mood for?"

_You. _She had missed the Poulet Chez Cales. The watercress salads. The garlicy potato wedges. But because they were his. Because she shared them with him. _Okay maybe they had merit on their own, but Logan…_

"Everything?" she whispered to the point almost no sound emerged.

He turned with a frown, "Hmm?"

"Anything," she smiled at him. "You make green stuff taste good; my taste buds are in good hands."

He laughed as he held open the door for her, "That's going to change the moment you see-"

"Are those Mallomars?" her eyes widened seeing the bright yellow display at the front of the store.

* * *

Mari- graham cracker with marshmallow on top dipped in chocolate. Only sold from fall to spring. Puts all other chocolate/marshmallow items to shame.


End file.
